Pioneer PDP-428XD/508XD

With its 'Kuro', blacker-than-black styling, the Pioneer PDP-428XD does live up to its hype. It might sound like a ridiculous thing to say about a TV but we really fell in love with the styling. It would make a great centrepiece to any home cinema and cer...

Black levels; picture quality; styling; menu system; build quality; sound; connectivity

Picture can look a little soft with certain settings engaged; price

A high-quality TV with the sort of black levels that we last saw on CRT TVs. It's not perfect but it does move home cinema screens up to a new level where they can offer something the LCD-based competition can't

Pioneer's top-of-the-range PDP-508XD is without doubt one of the best screens we've ever reviewed. Its design and build quality are difficult to fault, it has no less than three HDMI inputs and the picture quality is truly outstanding

Awesome black levels; blazing colours; smooth motion; heaps of picture tweaking options; classy design and build quality; great range of connections

Lack of 'Full HD' 1080p resolution; some reflections on screen

Televisions don't get much better than this. A winning combination of excellent picture quality, stylish design and user-friendly features, this 50-inch plasma should be at the top of any serious home cinema fan's shopping list. It's pricey, but it's wort...

Yes, we checked the date, we rubbed our eyes, we muttered disbelievingly... but rumours abound that Pioneer is to announce a range of LCD TVs and at the same time cease production of plasmas under 50in. Now lift up your chin.

None more black

>Best black levels ever., Superb picture. ,

No full-HD. Pricey.

The best plasma there is, but purists may want to wait for the full 1080p version.

The Kuro's fantastic pictures are matched by its looks

Unprecendented black levels, Excellent colours, Impressive audio

Pioneer's PDP-508XD really is as uniquely good as it thinks it is, and were it not for its premium price, the competition might as well just pack up and go home. Project Kuro looks set to be a real success

Pioneer continues to show that its Kuro plasma screens are the new black.

The very worst thing that can be said about the 428XD is that its overall impact isn't quite as great as that of the 508XD. But we only say this because picture quality this good just looks better the bigger the screen you see it on; there's nothing actua...

When we looked at Pioneer's 50in PDP-508XD plasma recently, we didn't just find it good: we found it positively revolutionary. So our expectations for the 42in version of the TV are understandably sky high

Superb pictures and black levels, Generous connections, Excellent sound

Expensive

The smallest of Pioneer's new 'Kuro' plasma screens is every bit as world-beating as its bigger brother

'Always bet on black', they say. And Pioneer seems to agree, as it's staking arguably its entire future on a belief that the black level performance of its new TVs is so good that the UK buying public will shell out heavily to get it. Fortunately, it is

The best flat TV picture ever, Lovely design, Great features, Fulsome 1080p/24Hz support

Premium price, No stand or wall bracket supplied

Not just the best 42-inch screen ever, it's the best flat screen yet by some margin

Deepest blacks with full preservation of shadow detail, Glorious colours with accurate decoding

Need to know when to apply certain settings with different source,    material to avoid introducing artifacts,

Pioneer PDP508XD is the cream of a bunch of 8G Kuro plasmas that delivers class-leading picture quality.

It's called 'Project Kuro': Pioneer has been rethinking the way its plasma screens work to create a new eighth-generation range designed not only to outperform the direct competition, but also show a clean pair of heels to LCD rivals. And it's all about t...